Henry's Web Log

It occured to me during the ride up that during Vietnam, the defining small-unit tactic was the wedge-shaped formation, moving through the jungles of Viet Nam. It is a formation tested by time and adapted for the terrain of where we were fighting. Its design minimizes casualties, maximizes firepower, and provides the greatest communications within the squad (shoot, move and communicate tenants).

So what''s the defining tactic of Iraq? Certainly the prior part of the war was all about visiting the local neighborhoods, making contact with the sheik, and ferreting out those who would do harm with the US. But in the current phase, as we step back and the Iraqis self-govern more & more, I see that our defining tactic is the combat logistics patrol, CLP. Well, actually, beginning January 1st, 2009, we now call it the convoy. Is it a throwback to the 1970's CB radio fad? Sorta! It's the primary means we move all supplies around the country. One officer here uses this quote on the bottom of his emails:
No Mission without the Logistician.
And what's my role, as a Liaison Officer in Basra? Well, I've started calling myself a convoy catcher! Among other things, I make sure that those logistical missions are greeted at the gate, escorted into a staging yard, properly downloaded and uploaded with their backhaul mission. We make sure the crews get fed (hot meals at their trucks, often, to keep things moving along), then we whisk them to the transient tents and get them bedded down. As they wake up, we ensure the vehicles that need service are fixed quickly, top of their fuel, and speed them on their way to the next destination. Sometimes, we do a "turn and burn" - the mission length doesn't require rest, so they drop their load, upload our outgoing, and move out quickly.

It would make a great video, but here's the real grabber: this all happens at night, in the dark. It's a well-coreagraphed orchestra, with many band members. The hereos in this operation are the truck drivers and their gunner escorts. They remain vigilant and sharp over long hauls, constantly communicating and ready for anything. The outstanding equipment provided by our US industrial base doesn't hurt either: uparmored HMMWV's, MRAPs, ASV's, armored tractor-trailers all make a formidable wall of mobile combat power.

I'm proud to be a part of it!